1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to mobile communication devices or stations and more particularly to user interface applications for dual-mode communication mobile devices or stations.
2. Description of the Related Art
While the functionality of handheld mobile stations has increased, so has the difficulty in using them. For example, current handheld mobile stations do not provide an easy way for a user to display the phone number that is assigned to the station via a subscriber identity module (SIM) card. To perform the required display steps may take too long and be awkward for the user to remember. Because the user may have to access several menus to find the phone number, the user also might not be able to access the phone number during a call.
Difficulties also arise when handheld mobile stations are in coverage zones of limited messaging capability. For example, stations do not adjust their behaviour for sending messages while in zones of limited messaging capability, such as by alerting a user to the limited network capability or to other methods of sending messages while in such zones. Additional difficulties arise when a user is manipulating interfaces associated with a mobile station's address book. Current address book user interfaces on mobile stations do not recognize special characters such as extension numbers when dialling. A typical station will dial a phone number in an address book and not recognize any further numbers after the main phone number. If the user is prompted by an automated operator for an extension number, often the user must re-open the address book application and find the associated extension number to input manually.